Method of securing wire fillings to frames.



W. H. SUMMER. METHOD OF SECURING WIRE FILLINGS TO FRAMES.

AFPLICATION men MW 24, 1915. 1,301,517., Patented Apr. 22,1919.

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w. H. SOIVIMER. METHOD OF SECURIIIIG WIRE FILLINGS T0 FRAMES. APPLICATION FILED MAY 24. I9I5.

l ,3Gl 5 1 7.. Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

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IIIIIIH IIIIIII TED STAES WILLIAM H. SOMMER, 0F PEORIA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE FIRST TRUST AND SAVINGS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, 01-110, A CORPORATION OF OHIO, AND WILLIAM E. STONE, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS, TRUSTEES.

METHOD OF SECURING'WIRE FILLINGS TO FRAMES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 22, 1919.

Application filed May 24, 1915. Serial No. 30,184.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVIL IAM H. SoMMnR, a citizen of the United States, residing-at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Im provements in Methods of Securing Wire Fillings to Frames, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in metallic structure and preferably of that type comprising a frame which is adapted to sustain, and have connected therewith, a filling, which together with the frame constitutes the body thereof.

Certain subject matter in this application is disclosed in the application filed by me December 10, 1913, Serial No. 805,849.

The object of the present invention is the improved method of securing the wire filling in the frame, and if such invention is employed in a gate structure, the method is in the manner of securing the cross wires in the supporting frame, and consists in forming or producing a frame including end or vertical reach members and top and bottom or horizontal reach members, each provided with wire receiving openings; inserting Wires through opposite openings in certain of the reach bars of said frame; suitably heading the protruding ends of said Wires; 'withdrawing the wires after the heading operatlon, causing said headed ends of the wires to bear firmly against the frame; severing securing a wire filling to a gate frame, I

prefer to make a filler comprising vertical and horizontal wires producing a square mesh within the frame. The vertical filler wires are first put in the frame, one at a time, although the horizontal wires could be first put in. Each wire is headed, first on one end and then on the other, and this process is carried on until all the vertical wires have been secured in place, when the horizontal or cross wires are inserted and headed. The vertical and horizontal wires where they cross are then tied together by a suitable wire tie, preferably, by applying a row of ties simultaneously.

Eachwire put in the frame, whether ver' tical or horizontal wires, is first headed cold, whereas the last heads are hot headed, preferably electrically. This is made necessary because when each wire is first threaded through the frame plenty of stock is provided at the free end of the wire. to be gripped outside the frame by a header die and the wire may be cold headed. WVhen this has been done, the stock is withdrawn,

causing the cold head to be brought firmly against the frame, and the wire is then severed from the stock, leaving but a small end portion protruding through the frame making it necessary to clamp the wire inside the frame and head the end with a hot heading process. v 1

To unite the cross wires where they intersect, I prefer to employ staple-tie, a row of such staples being applied simultaneously. In this manner, the frame and wire filler may be fed in a step by step manner beneath suitable staple-tie attaching means, and the wires secured.

A wire filler applied to the frame in manner stated, insures all the wires being absolutely taut, as the heading of the wires will leave but little slack, only sufficient to allow for a slight kink where the staple ties are applied, which last operation will take up all theslack, leaving the filler taut throughout.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a View showing a wire having or horizontal reach members of the frame,

uncut from its stock, with the free end of the wire about to be cold headed;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, except that the stock has been Withdrawn, the headed end of the wire brought firmly'against the" frame, the headed wire severed from the stock, the filler wire clamped within the frame, and the free end of said wire about to be hot headed;

Fig. 3 is a View showing that the filler wires extending in one direction through the frame :havebeen placed and headed, and a cross wire threaded 'therethrough and at the same stage of the operation, as the wire is in, in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3' except that the cross wire is at the same stage of the operation, as the wire is in, in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a View of the complete frame with the cross filler wires secured therein, having {been headed on both ends, the frame being'supported .on a feeder beneath staple tie applying devices and .a row of staples about to .be applied to a series of intersections ofthe cross wires;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. .5, except that staples have been applied to each row of intersections of the cross-wires, except the last, and these are about to be applied, and

Fig. 7 is a view, in elevation, showing in a general way the frame feeding and staple tie applying devices.

Like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the figures.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, the gate frame is hown made of round tubing, the top or upper horizontal reach member 1, and the ends or vertical reach members 2 and 3 being bent into form from a single piece of tubing. The bottom or lower reach member 4 is united to the .ends of the vertical reach members by welding. insuch a way as to roduce angular mitered corner 5.

he horizontal reach members 1 and 4 are each provided with alined sets of wire openings, not shown; the sets of openings in said members also being in line, so that a wire may be threaded through one set of openings, across the frame and through an other set of openings. The vertical reach members .2 and 3, like the horizontal reach members, are each provided with alined Sets of wire openings, not shown; the sets of openings in said members also being in line, so that a wire may be threaded through one set of openings, across the frame and the other wires therein and through another set of openings.

6 designates a wire stock. The frame is so placed that this stock may be threaded through opening in the reach member 4, across the frame and through openings in the reach members :1. Wire guides 7 and 8 placed between the reach members 4 and 1 of the frame, guide the wire 6 to position. 13 designates a clamp, for purposes to be ex plained.

The free end of the wire stock 6 is held between header dies 10, which grip the wire at the proper time when the header 11 is brought into operation producing the head 12 on the end of the wire. This heading operation is preferably a cold heading process.

After the head 12 has been formed, the stock 6 is withdrawn, both stretching the wire and bringing the head 12 firmly against the member 1, of the frame. The wire stock extending between the two reach members 1 and 4 produce, what will be referred to as the stay. Upon the withdrawal of the wire stock, the clamp 13 grips the wire adjacent to the reach member 4 but within the frame, the stay is severed from the stock 6, by severing members 14 and the end of the stay headed, as at 15, preferably by an electric hot header 16.

To employ electricity for the hot heading process, a transformer 17 is used, a conductor 18 leading from the transformer to the hot header 16, and a conductor 19 leading from the transformer to the frame, the circuit being completed when the hot header 16 engages with the end of the stay wire, such wire contacting with the gate frame, one of the openings of each set in the reach member 4, through which the stay wire passes being only large enough to receive the wire.

As many stay wires are secured in the frame, in the manner just described, as may be desired and spaced from each other at whatever distance desired. When a sufficient number of stay Wires have been secured in the frame, said frame is turned around and line or cross wires are threaded in, one at a time, from the wire stock 6, and to secure such line or cross Wires in the frame, each wire is first cold headed, as at 20, in the same manner as the heads 12 on the stay wires were formed; the stock withdrawn to cause the head 20 to firmly engage the reach member v2; the cutter 14 operated to sever the line or cross wire from the stock '6, and the end of the line or crossw-ire headed, as at 21, by the hot process, in the same manner and by the same means employed for heading the stay wires, as at 1'5.

As many line or cross wires are secured in the frame, in the manner just described, as may be desired and spaced uniformly or at graduated distances from each other, as may be desired.

The frame having'been threaded with stay and line or cross wires, and the wires having been headed on their opposite ends to secure the same inthe frame, they are ready now for the application of the tie wires, at the intersection of'the stay and line or cross wires.

The frame is supported on a movable carrier, such as chains 22. These chains move in a step by step movement to present a row of intersections of stay and cross .or line wires, simultaneously, to the tie wire applyng devices.

The tie wire applying devices comprise movable bender blocks 23, staple or tic wire benders 24, the staple or tie wireshear plate 25, and the staple dies 26. A tie wire stock 27 is'fed, preferably diagonally, to each set of tying devices, and as a row of intersections of stay and line or cross wires are presented thereto, staple lengths are first cut from the tie wire stock 27, by the staple shear plate 25, when the bender blocks 23 force the staple lengths over the staple benders 24, forming them into staples which are then driven across the intersections of the stay and line or cross wires and clenched about the same, as at 28, by being forced into engagement with the staple dies 26. This operation is continued until staples are applied to all of the intersections of stay and line or cross wires, when the frame is complete.

In the manufacture of'wire gates it has been customary to provide a wire filler by cutting a strip of fabric from' a woven fence, lay such strip on the gate frame and secure the ends of the line or cross wires to the frame by wrapping or coiling the same about the vertical reach members thereof. The objections to such a method are, that the wrappings of the ends of the wires around the reach members are not only unsightly and destroy the contour of the gate frame, but such a method is not strong, will not hold the wires taut, and will quickly rust from the action of the weather thereon. Also, it is only the ends of the line or cross wires which can be attached to the reach members of the frame, as the ends of the stay wires are wrapped around or otherwise connected to the top and bottom line or cross wires of the fabric, and will permit the fabric to sag. With my improvement all the wires, both stay and line or cross, wires are connected to the frame and tying the filler wires where they intersect, after they have been secured in the frame, insures their being taut, no chance for sagging, and preventing their rusting off where connected to the reach members of the frame.

The preferred method of feeding the wires to the frame is to feed them one at a time, but it is to be understood that all wires fed in one direction could be fed simultaneously by a mere multiplication of the feeding means, and therefore I do not wish to be limited, except as so specified, to the number of wires fed at any onetime.

What I claim is 1. The method of attaching a wire filler to a frame, which consists in passing the ends of the respective cross wires through the opposite reach bars of the frame, heading the opposite ends of each wire, and uniting the wires where they intersect.

'2. The method of attaching a wire filler to a frame, which consists in passing the ends of the respective cross wires through the opposite reach bars of the frame, cold heading one end of each of said wires, and hot heading the opposite ends of said wires, and uniting the wires where they intersect.

3. The method of attaching a wire filler to a frame, which consists in feeding a wire stock across the frame, heading the free end of the wire, withdrawing the wire stock so as to cause the head on the wire to bear against the frame, severing a wire length from the stock, and heading the free end of the wire length. i

4. The method of attaching a wire filler to a frame, which consists in feeding a wire stock across the frame, cold heading the free end of the wire, withdrawing the wire stock so as to cause the head on the wire to, bear against the frame, severing a wire length from the stock, and hot heading the free end of the wire length.

5. The method of attaching a wire filler to a frame, which consists in passing the ends of the respective longitudinal and stay wires through the opposite reach bars of the frame, heading the opposite ends of each wire, and uniting the wires where they intersect, by simultaneously applying securing means to a row of wire intersections at a time.

6. The method of attaching a wire filler to a frame, which consists in feeding, one at a time, wires extending in one direction across the frame, then shaping the ends of such wires so as to prevent their displacement on the frame feeding, one at a time, other wires, in a crosswise direction of said frame and first mentioned wires, then shaping the ends of said wires so as to prevent their displacement on the frame, and finally uniting the cross wires where they intersect.

7 The method of attaching a wire filler to a frame, which consists in feeding, one at a time, wires extending in one direction across the frame, heading one end of each wire and then heading the other end thereof to prevent withdrawal of said wires, feeding, one at a time, other wires, in a crosswise direction, of said frame and first mentioned wires, heading one end of each cross wire and then heading the other end thereof to prevent withdrawal of said cross wires, and uniting the wires where they intersect, by applying staples to said intersections.

8. The method of attaching a wire filler to a frame, which consists in feeding the respective wires constituting the filler across the frame, cold heading one end of each of said wires, and hot heading the opposite end of each of said wires by the application of electricity.

9. The method of attaching a wire filler to a frame, which consists in feeding a wire stock across the frame, cold heading the free end of the wire, withdrawing the wire stock so as to cause the head on the wire to bear against the frame, severing a wire length from the stock, and electrically heading the free end of the wire length.

10. The method of attaching a wire filler to a frame, which consists in feeding wires extending in one direction across the frame, then shaping the ends of such wires so as to prevent their displacement on the frame, feeding other wires in a crosswise direction of said frame and first mentioned wires, then shaping the ends of said wires so as to prevent their displacement on the frame, and finally connecting the cross wires Where they intersect.

11. The method of attaching a wire filler to an open, rectangular frame, which consists in passing the ends of cross wires extending in opposite directions through bars constituting the frame, and heading the pro truding ends of each of the wires for securing said Wires to the frame.

12. The method of attaching a wire filler to a frame, which consists in passing the ends of the respective cross wires through opposite bars constituting the frame, and securing said wires to the frame by cold heading one end of each-of the Wires and hot heading the opposite ends thereof.

13; The method of attaching a wire filler to a frame, which consists in passing-the ends of the respective longitudinal and stay Wires through the bars constituting the frame, heading the-opposite ends of each wire, and applying tie-Wires to the crosswires where they intersect, a row at a time, and moving said frame-- in a stepby step movement so as to progressively present the successive rows of intersections of said portions of said cross wires to said tie-Wire applying devices.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

CHAS. H. LA P011111. E. .G. SOHAEFFER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatents,

Washington, D. G." 

